In 2014, officials in the West African nation of Guinea reported an outbreak of Ebola, a deadly zoonotic disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus, that jumps from infected bats to humans. The outbreak quickly became a global epidemic, spreading to 10 countries around the world, infecting more than 26,000 people and killing 11,310, including one person in the U.S.

In response, NSF invited researchers to mobilize and apply for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) awards to investigate the Ebola virus and offer solutions. One company, PhylloTech, received NSF support to adapt its plant-based platform to scale up the production of an Ebola antibody used in an experimental biopharmaceutical called ZMAPP™ -- currently the only available treatment for the deadly virus.

The idea for the production of the antibody stems from an NSF-funded researcher who sought to better understand how plants communicate with microorganisms living on their leaf surfaces. This led to the discovery that trichomes -- organelles on the leaf surface -- of the tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum, secrete a protein called phylloplanin, an antimicrobial agent that defends against fungal infections. The researcher engineered the biological system to generate other proteins in commercial quantities, including the Ebola antibody used in ZMAPP™.

This NSF Impact is one of thousands of research outcomes made possible by NSF that help fuel the U.S. economy, enhance national security and sustain U.S. global leadership by advancing knowledge. You can search for more NSF Impacts at https://www.nsf.gov/impacts.